Today is not like yesterday or the days before. As Mark Carney, the Canadian prime minister, said at Davos, there has been a rupture, only this time it is with us, average Americans who have come face-to-face with the authoritarian government we never thought would come. The killing of Alex Pretti yesterday in Minneapolis by Federal ICE agents destroyed whatever trust and respect we had for our government.
The doubling down by the government, its apparent sanction of violence and the incendiary comments by the president, DHS secretary Noem, presidential advisor Miller and ICE commander Bovino, confirm Trump’s contempt for those who would challenge executive power. Together with the aggressive and sometimes violent response by people in Minneapolis, the conflict has moved beyond the streets to create an irreconcilable gulf between federal and local government, between responsible exercise of the law and the loss of respect by the citizenry.
What we are learning is that the separation of powers, checks and balances and judicial review we were taught in civics class simply don’t work without decent leadership given to compromise and mutual respect. What we are witnessing is James Madison’s worst nightmare. The vaunted federalist system is breaking down.
RESIST!